Preview: ‘Who wrote Shakespeare?”—a festival

Showtimes:

Edmund Ironside—Early kings of England battle it out for supremacy. Fri 8pm, April 27, and Sat 2pm, April 28.

The London Prodigal—A father learns his son has become a complete debaucher. Fri 8pm, May 4, Sat 2pm, May 5.

The Puritan—A bereaved widow, without her kindly husband, falls prey to poor judgment. Fri 8pm, May 11, Sat 2pm, May 12.

A Yorkshire Tragedy—Terror in the recounting of a grisly murder. Fri 8pm, May 18, Sat 2pm, May 19.

Lord Thomas Cromwell—The rise and fall of King Henry VIII’s crafty strategist, who was beheaded in 1540. Fri 8pm, May 25, Sat 2pm, May 26.

Fifty local actors, including veteran Shakespearean Matt K. Miller, are presenting readings of five “lost” plays which may (or may not) have been written by Shakespeare.

These plays, which scholars have argued over for centuries, are rarely performed. The series begins with a free (and spirited) discussion by a panel of academics and theater artists, “Who Wrote Shakespeare?”—it takes place in the West Meeting Room of the Sacramento Library, 828 I Street, on Tuesday April 24, 2018 from 6:30pm to 8pm.

The readings are at the Wilkerson Theater in the R25 Arts Complex, 1725 25th Street. Tickets are $20, www.calstage.org or (916) 451-5822.